While the BCCI announced ODI and Test squads for the India tour of West Indies, there is still time for the T20 I team to be released. The Men in Blue play 5 T20Is, including two in the USA starting in August. While the focus is on ODIs, the selectors have begun the transition phase already in T20Is with Hardik Pandya as captain. Now, IPL stalwart Rinku Singh is expected to receive a maiden call-up. Mohammed Shami has also forced himself back into the T20 plans.
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India has been long searching for a finisher in T20 cricket. The Men in Blue experimented with Dinesh Karthik but the now RCB star is woefully out of form and contention. With Rishabh Pant also injured, the attention has turned to KKR star Rinku Singh. The left-handed batter became a household with a stunning show in the IPL 2023. He scored 474 runs at nearly a strike rate of 150 averaging 59.
IND vs WI T20: Why is Rinku Singh in contention?
- India are searching for a new finisher in T20Is with Dinesh Karthik not in the plans.
- While Hardik has played that role, he prefers batting higher up as he does for Gujarat Titans.
- Rinku meanwhile took the IPL by storm with stellar performances down the order.
- He took KKR over the line in tricky run chases, including a near-impossible 29-run over chase.
- Rinku’s stature has grown, with the likes of Andre Russell also trusting him to deliver.
- He has shown his ability to adjust to all kinds of surfaces during the IPL 2023.
More than those numbers, he could get the job done for KKR in tricky run chases that caught the eye. The 25-year-old hit 5 sixes to chase down 29 in the final over.
Hardik Pandya is also likely to have his strike bowler Mohammed Shami back. Shami was not considered for the T20I series earlier this year but has forced his way through after a stellar IPL. The 32-year-old won the Purple Cap for picking up 28 wickets, helping Hardik’s Gujarat Titans side to the final. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar likely out of plans, Shami will be trusted as the new ball enforcer, a role he does well for Pandya in GT.
Shami remains India’s gun bowler across all formats. After a gruelling few months, the 32-year-old was rested for the Test and ODI series against the West Indies.
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